Air conditioner



Feb- 28, 1967 E. s. WEGMAN AIR CONDITIONER Filed Feb. 8, 1966 FIG. 4.

United States Patent Oiice bb@ Patented Feb. 28, 1967 3,366,669 AIR CONDITIONER Evert S. Wegman, Columbus, hio, assigner to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 8, 1%6, Ser. No. 525,911 8 Claims. (Cl. 62-262) This invention relates generally to room air conditioners, and particularly to a front assembly therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a superior structural arrangement for a panel front assembly of the type including a vertically-slidable upper panel and a hinged lower panel.

A panel front assembly of the general type to which the invention is applicable is disclosed in Graser U.S. patent application Serial No. 525,910, filed contemporaneously herewith, wherein the assembly is shown in connection with a room air conditioner having an upper conditioned air outlet, and a lower room air inlet on the front face of the air conditioner. The assembly includes a frame, an upper panel mounted for vertically sliding movement from an upper position generally blocking the conditioned air outlet, to a lower position generally exposing the outlet, and a lower panel pivotally mounted along its top edge for swinging movement forwardly from a closed position, to an open position adapted to admit room air to the room air inlet. The contribution of my invention resides generally in the structure provided for mounting the upper and lower panels, the means for blocking direct air flow between the outlet and inlet, and the means for relating the positioning of the panels. The to-p panel slides downwardly behind the upper Iportion of the lower panel, and means engaged by the upper panel in its lower position maintains the lower panel in its forwardly-pivoted open position. Additionally, the structure is arranged so that when the upper panel is raised to a closed position and the lower panel is closed, the upper panel is supported in its closed position.

An explanation of the invention will proceed in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the face of the room air conditioner provided with an arrangement according to the invention, and in which the panels are in closed positions;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the panels in their normal operating positions;

FIG, 3 is an isometric view similar to FIGS. l and 2, but showing the lower panel in a raised position to yield access to the control means and filter;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view cor-responding to one taken along the lines IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the front assembly and including a partly schematic representation of certain elements in broken lines;

FIG. 6 is a partly-broken elevational view of one end of the upper panel; and

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional View of the upper portion of the lower panel.

The room face of the air conditioner is shown in FIGS. 1-3 with the panel arrangement in FIG. 1 being in a closed (i.e., inoperative) position, in FIG. 2 in an open (normally operative) position, and in FIG. 3 with the panels in an open, operative position but with the lower panel raised to give access to parts therebehind.

The air conditioner casing 1l) has the conventional, generally rectangular box-shape and has a room face which receives a rectangular frame 12 which supports the front panel arrangement. The top panel 14 and the bottom panel 16 are connected at their side edges to the side members 18 and 20 of the frame 12 in a manner according to the invention and which will be described in detail hereinafter.

The components inside the air conditioner casing 10 are generally conventional and include a conventional refrigeration system and air moving means (neither of which is shown). The air flow pattern is into the room air inlet 22 in the lower portion of the casing front face, through the internal conditioning elements, and out of the conditioned air outlet 24 extending horizontally across the upper portion of the front face of the casing.

An adjustable gril-l assembly 26 is mounted in the conditioned air outlet in the space immediately behind the panel 14 and is fully visible in FIGS. 2 and 3. An air lter 2S is disposed against the air entering face of an evaporator (not shown) and is partially visible in FIGS. 2 and 3. Control knobs 30 are mounted on a stationary panel 32 at the left side of the evaporator and air filter 28 as shown in FIG. 3. Access to the control knobs, and air iilter for maintenance, is gained by pivoting the lower panel 16 upwardly as shown in FIG. 3.

The means for suspending the top panel 14 according to the invention for vertical movement includes a cable and pulley arrangement diagrammatically shown in FIG. 5 in broken lines. A pair of guide posts, preferably in the form of wheels 34, is rotatably secured against the rear face of the top panel 14 adjacent each end thereof. Two cables 35 are arranged with their opposite ends secured to opposite ones of the side members 18 and 2t) of the frame 12, and extend in taut condition around wheels 34 at diagonally opposite positions at the opposite ends of the panel 14. As viewed in front elevation, the two cables form an H-shape in which the intermediate or bight portions .comprise the horizontal bar of the H- shape.

The wheels are generally enclosed in a chamber formed between the rear face of the panel 14, and a Wheel cover 38 (FIGS. 4 and 6) secured to rear face of the panel 14. A cover 40 for the bi-ght portions of the cables between the wheels at opposite ends of the panel 14 is also provided on the -rear face of the panel. To stabilize the panel 14 in its various positions, particularly with respect to front and rear displacement, a guide member 42 including a vertical, inwardly-open track 44 for the vertical run of the cables 35, is provided and secured against the inner faces of the respectively opposite side members 1S and 20 of the frame 12.

A preferred means for limiting movement of the upper panel 14 in a downward direction, also for blocking direct recirculation of air from the outlet 24 to the inlet 22, is shown in FIG. 4. The upper panel 14 is provided with a rearwardly-projecting horizontal flange 46 carrying a soft gasket on its low-er face. When the upper panel is dropped, the gasket on the lian-ge engages a forwardlyprojecting horizontal flange 4S on the front face of mullion Sil and seals against direct recirculation. The mullion extends horizontally between the opposite side members 18 and 2t) of the frame 12 and is the general divider at the front between the air inlet and outlet.

The lower panel 16 is hinged along its upper edge for forwardly swinging movement to the positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Referring again t-o FIGS. 4-7, the top edge of the lower panel is formed to receive a plastic or aluminum slide-on rail S2 which captures an outwardlyprojecting hinge pin 54 at each end of the panel. These pins project at opposite ends of the panel into bearing apertures provided in the respectively opposite side members 18 and 20 of the frame 12.

The rail 52 also secures a pair of leaf springs against the rear face of the panel 16. The springs are shaped in longitudinal section as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. Each leaf spring 56 includes an upper end captured by the rail 52, a rearwardly-projecting shoulder 58, and a curved or arcuate portion 6i) terminating in a free end. The purpose of the shoulder 58 is to provide support for the upper panel 14 when the lower panel 16 is in its closed position. To this end, the lower edge of the upper panel 14 is provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined tab 62 aligned in a vertical direction with each spring 56. The tab 62, as shown in FIG. 4, rests upon shoulder 58 when the panel 14 is in its closed position. When the lower panel 16 is pulled forwardly at its bottom edge, the spring 56 is also pivoted so that the tab slips off the spring shoulder and the upper panel 14 may descent upon its cable suspension to the lower position at which the flange 46 engages the stop 48. With the panel 14 in its lowered position the tab 62 engages the arcuate portion 60 of the spring when the lower panel 16 is released from the grasp of the user. The engagement of the tab against the spring holds the lower panel in its angularly-displaced, open position as shown in FIG. 2, for normal operation. An electrical interlock switch responsive to the position of the upper panel for controlling energization of the air conditioner and preventing energization when the upper panel is not fully seated in its lowered position, may also be provided in connection with the stop means 48.

When it is desired to place the front panels of the air conditioner in a closed position, the upper panel 14 is grasped by the user and elevated upon its cable suspension system to its uppermost position. This permits the lower panel 16 to pivot rearwardly to its closed position shown in FIGS. l and 4, and places the spring shoulder 58 below the tab 62 to hold up the upper panel 14.

Magnetic means may conveniently be used to insure that the lower panel 16 is held in the plane of the frame 12 in the closed position of the panels. To this end the rear face of the panel 16 is provided with a steel plate 64 secured thereto and a permanent magnet 66 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is carried on the stationary panel 32 at the side of the room air inlet in a position to register with the steel plate when the panel 16 is closed. This pulls and holds the lower panel tightly closed.

The use of the springs 56 as a part of the cam means is presently preferred because of their yieldable nature. Thus, when the .panels are in an open position, the springs can yield if the panel 16 is inadvertently or purposely forced backwardly toward the face of the air conditioner, and no damage to the suspension system of the panels occurs.

I claim as my invention:

1. A room air conditioner front assembly comprising:

a frame including a pair of oppositely disposed vertical side members;

a lower panel hingedly supported from said side members for forwardly swinging movement about a horizontal axis through the upper portion of said panel;

an upper panel mounted for parallel, translational movement in a vertical direction from an upper position covering a conditioned air outlet, to a lower position exposing said outlet, the path of movement to a lower position being behind the upper portion of said lower panel;

means for mounting said upper panel from said side members for said movement including;

a pair of guide posts on the rear surface of, and adjacent each end of, said upper panel;

a pair of taut cables,

each cable having one end attached to said side member at an upper level and the opposite end attached to the opposite member at a lower level,

each cable extending around one guide post at one end of said upper panel, and around the diagonally opposite guide post at the other end of said upper panel so that,

said cables are disposed in generally mirror image relation as viewed in front elevation to form a generally H-shape with the stern of said H-shape comprising the bight portions of said cables extending between the opposite ends of said upper panel and in crossing relation to each other behind said panel.

2. A front assembly according to claim 1 wherein:

said upper panel includes means for mounting said guide posts for rotation upon said movement of said upper panel.

3. A front assembly according to claim 1 wherein:

said upper panel includes cover means for said bight portions of said cables.

4. A front assembly according to claim 1 including:

resilient means carried by said lower panel to project rearwardly in the path of downward movement of said upper panel; and

said upper panel includes means for engaging said resilient means when said upper panel is in said lower position to urge said lower panel to a forwardly swung position.

5. A front assembly according to claim 4 wherein:

said resilient means is in the form of leaf spring means fixed to said lower panel and having an upper shoulder for supporting said upper panel in its upper position, and a lower arcuate portion `for urging said lower panel to a forwardly swung position.

6. A front assembly according to claim 1 including:

horizontally-extending means separating said conditioned air outlet from a lower room air inlet that is located behind said lower panel; and

means carried by said upper panel for engagement with said separating means to block lrecirculation of air from said conditioned air outlet to said room air inlet when said upper panel is in said lower position.

7. A front assembly according to claim 1 including:

latching means xed to said lower panel and said frame assembly for retaining said lower panel in a rearwardly swung position when said upper panel is in said upper position.

8. A front assembly according to claim 7 wherein:

said latching means includes magnetic means for urging said lower panel to a rearwardly swung position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,786,407 3/1957 Sarles 98-40 2,826,048 3/1958 Wheeler 62-262 3,159,983 12/1964 Metcalfe 62-262 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A ROOM AIR CONDITIONER FRONT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED VERTICAL SIDE MEMBERS; A LOWER PANEL HINGEDLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID SIDE MEMBERS FOR FORWARDLY SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS THROUGH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PANEL; AN UPPER PANEL MOUNTED FOR PARALLEL, TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION FROM AN UPPER POSITION COVERING A CONDITIONED AIR OUTLET, TO A LOWER POSITION EXPOSING SAID OUTLET, THE PATH OF MOVEMENT TO A LOWER POSITION BEING BEHIND THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOWER PANEL; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID UPPER PANEL FROM SAID SIDE MEMBERS FOR SAID MOVEMENT INCLUDING; A PAIR OF GUIDE POSTS ON THE REAR SURFACE OF, AND ADJACENT EACH END OF, SAID UPPER PANEL; A PAIR OF TAUT CABLES, EACH CABLE HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO SAID SIDE MEMBER AT AN UPPER LEVEL AND THE OPPOSITE END ATTACHED TO THE OPPOSITE MEMBER AT A LOWER LEVEL, EACH CABLE EXTENDING AROUND ONE GUIDE POST AT ONE END OF SAID UPPER PANEL, AND AROUND THE DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE GUIDE POST AT THE OTHER END OF SAID UPPER PANEL SO THAT, SAID CABLES ARE DISPOSED IN GENERALLY MIRROR IMAGE RELATION AS VIEWED IN FRONT ELEVATION TO FORM A GENERALLY H-SHAPE WITH THE STEM OF SAID H-SHAPE COMPRISING THE BIGHT PORTIONS OF SAID CABLES EXTENDING BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID UPPER PANEL AND IN CROSSING RELATION TO EACH OTHER END BEHIND SAID PANEL. 